


Make My Day

by Nutriyum_Addict



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Friendship, Infertility, Marriage, Pregnancy, Surrogacy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-08
Updated: 2016-09-08
Packaged: 2018-08-13 22:06:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7987849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nutriyum_Addict/pseuds/Nutriyum_Addict
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU in which Leslie and Ben want a baby but can't get pregnant, then April surprises them with an offer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Make My Day

**Author's Note:**

> I had a dream a couple of nights ago, and in a small snippet of it, I was talking to someone about fic and I commented that I couldn't believe that I wrote all my fic wrong, when on the show, it was April that had the triplets for Leslie and Ben. And how it was weird that no one noticed my fic was wrong because I messed up that detail and always had Leslie be pregnant when I wrote about the triplets.
> 
> And then I woke up like, _whoa, that's an interesting idea._ And then the thought of April being a surrogate for L/B would not get out of my head. So, I had to write it.

"You shouldn't feel pressured to spawn just because you're a woman," April tells her, after Leslie's brief confession and honestly, if she wasn't already sniffling, that would start her down the road to tears for sure.

They're standing by the row of sinks in the ladies room at City Hall and she's washing her hands, having just come out of a stall where she was greeted by the appearance of her period. A new monthly reminder of how she's not pregnant.

Of how she'll probably never be pregnant.

"I know," Leslie responds, before blowing her nose and although she's sad, she also feels a surge of pride at April's sage advice. "You're a very wise and beautiful government employee and that is a completely accurate and very important point. I don't feel pressure to spawn."

"Oh, I get it. You don't want to have sex with Ben," April guesses next.

Leslie rolls her eyes a little because that is definitely _not_ it, but she smiles regardless. "No, No. It's not...Ben and I are a great team, and we just want to add another member to our team, but it turns out we can't."

Once she says it out loud, it almost feels a little okay. So Leslie takes a breath and repeats it.

"We can't have a baby. I mean, I can't. I have an industrial-size oven but it...apparently can't _bake_ a baby, so to speak. Ben and I can't get pregnant. That's what it is. We've been trying for more than a year but it wasn't working, so Ann suggested we go see a specialist and we just found out a couple of months ago, and I guess I'm still processing it all."

Now April is staring at her awkwardly and Leslie feels the need to make sure the younger woman is okay. She gets the feeling sometimes that April is not that all that comfortable with emotions, even if it's other people that are expressing them.

"I mean, it'll be fine. We can raise cats. Or maybe a few pigs? That pig that ate Ben's headphones was cute. Remember him? Or maybe we'll just travel a lot. Or we can adopt. We can do a lot of things, so it's really not the end of the world," she insists. And it's true.

She and Ben still have a great team, Leslie knows, even if it stays a team of two. Although, being told she _can't_ do something, only kind of makes her want it more, whether it's winning a City Council seat, tracking down discontinued tab binders, or a having a baby.

"If it's just that..." April shrugs. "I could do it."

Leslie frowns. "You could do what?"

"Carry your baby. _Eww_ , even if it's part Ben. But I could do that, if you wanted."

She couldn't have heard that right. "Oh. What now? I don't--"

"I think you're a really wonderful person and you'd be a great mother if that's what you want. And if that's all that's stopping you, I could do it. I could, uh, grow it and keep it safe until I pushed it out for you."

"April, you can't be--"

"I was thinking of having a baby for a gay couple in Budapest anyway. This would probably be easier since you're right here. Even if you aren't a vampire."

Still fairly stunned, she watches as April gives her a small but somehow significant-seeming smile and then leaves the ladies room.

 * * * * *

It's completely ridiculous and way, way, way too much to even consider, but still that night, Leslie can't get April's offer out of her head.

It _is_ completely ridiculous, right? April couldn't have been serious. And even if she was, she and Ben could never actually consider it, could they?

Of course not. Besides, what smart and talented twenty-six year old married woman wants to carry a baby that isn't hers, but for her mentor and friend?

"Hey, babe. Do you want more pasta?"

"What?" She looks up and across the table at Ben.

He grins at her. "I asked if you wanted more pasta."

"Oh, sure. Yeah. Pasta, I like pasta. Load me up. Gotta carbo-load."

"Alright," Ben gives her a look and a chuckle as he scoops some more rigatoni onto her plate. "What's going on?"

"Nothing. Just thinking. It's nothing."

"Okay, well, I was thinking that after dinner we could cuddle on the couch and watch--"

"April said she would carry our baby," Leslie blurts out.

Ben blinks. "Um, what...wait, what?"

"Today, in the ladies room at work. April...I was upset because I got my period and we started talking and April just out of the blue suggested that she carry our baby. Like a... _surrogate_ , I guess. Anyway, that is completely insane and bonkers, right?"

Ben is still blinking at her and also looking really adorably confused. Sexy and confused like a koala bear in a snowstorm. "What?"

"I know, it's crazy," Leslie repeats, nodding, and then she shoves a big forkful of the cheesy baked rigatoni that Ben had made them for dinner into her mouth. She even knows there's spinach hidden in there but she doesn't really care about that right now.

"That is a completely crazy idea, right?" She's talking with her mouth full but she can't help it. She just needs to ask it again.

* * * * *

Five months after Leslie had first brought it up during dinner, Ben still feels like he's walking around in a haze of disbelief. He's happy, overjoyed, and grateful of course, but he's also still a bit incredulous.

With Leslie's assistance, weeks ago he had masturbated into a cup (kind of fun) at the IVF clinic and then his ejaculate was _professionally_ mixed--for some reason, that seems like an important point, with Leslie's eggs.

He'd held her hand during her procedure as the specialist retrieved some of her ova (definitely did not seem fun), the day after his own contribution to the cause.

And now a single fertilized egg, dubbed _the little embryo that could_ , was growing inside April--their friend and gestational surrogate.

Or is it a fetus yet? Ben stops and makes a face as he realizes it's been thirteen weeks since the pregnancy was confirmed, so it's definitely considered a fetus now. Or more personally, his and Leslie's unborn child. Their tiny baby-bean.

They don't know the sex yet, although Leslie insists it's a girl. Except when she swears it's a boy.

April claims it's a possum.

"Ben! Hey!"

"Hey," he turns to see Andy, rushing down the hall towards him.

"I was looking for you all morning. I wanted to tell you that April did the cutest thing last night. She ate a peanut butter and jalapeno sandwich and then she barfed all over herself. Isn't that adorable? It really smelled," Andy adds, a huge smile on his face.

"Wow, that…is...cute," he agrees. "But I'm really sorry she's throwing up."

"Oh, it's okay. I just made her another sandwich when she was done."

"Is this strange?" He asks Andy, even though he kind of already knows the answer. He's got to admit that he feels a little awkward around Andy now. "This is strange. I mean that um, that your wife is pregnant with my baby."

After he says it, Ben realizes how bad that sounds and he looks around to see if anyone in the hallway besides Andy heard him.

Councilman Howser is staring at him. Of course. Ben smiles uneasily.

"Nah, it's great!" Andy assures him, seemingly unconcerned with the topic of their conversation. "I don't think she minds spewing occasionally and her boobs are bigger. And her tummy is getting all round and cute too. I play songs to it. Oh and just so you know? Don't worry at all because we're being really careful with your baby."

Ben nods appreciatively but still a bit uncomfortably.

"We're only having mini-marshmallow wars now and there's just gentle boning afterwards," Andy adds, as they walk down the hall.

 * * * *

"So what do you think?" Leslie asks, taking a sip from her wine glass and admiring the recently painted nursery.

The walls are a dark lavender, with bright white trim around the windows. At April's insistence, they'd hired Orin to paint little dancing woodland creatures in a row on one wall and surprisingly, the fuzzy, happy animals were...completely adorable and Orin made no predictions about anyone's death while he was in their house.

Her husband comes up behind her and gives her a hug. "I love it. She'll love it."

Leslie feels a wave of emotion roll through her and she smiles. Their daughter. They found out a couple of weeks ago at April's last sonogram. She and Ben are having a daughter.

"Yeah. Abigail, Sonia, Eleanor, or Dolly will love it."

"Maybe, maybe, maybe, and nope," Ben teases, nibbling her earlobe.

She giggles and tries to get out of his reach as starts to tickle her.

"Wine! Wine! I'm going to spill!"

"Sorry," he halts his attack and she spins carefully in his arms.

"It still seems crazy that this is happening," she admits, as he takes her glass for a sip, before placing it down on the changing table.

"It does. Crazy and wonderful," Ben agrees.

"We're having a baby and I'm drinking wine."

Ben snorts. "Yeah, goofball."

"Have you had anymore thoughts on a present?"

They had been talking about what sort of present they could get April for helping them like this.

Obviously there was no present that could adequately express their gratitude but they were trying to come up with something anyway. And for the first time in her life, Leslie was having trouble planning out the perfect gift.

"What about a vacation?" Ben throws out. "Somewhere relaxing and tropical? Just her and Andy."

"Hmmmm, well. That's an idea. But listen to this, instead of relaxing and tropical, maybe old and creepy? Somewhere with an odd history? We find a fancy hotel in a weird town in a faraway location and..." she trails off, already thinking about the adventure she'll devise for April and Andy after the birth.

But for now, she just sways into Ben as his hands slide down to her hips and they kiss.

* * * * *

It's month six into this whole still slightly unbelievable and amazing process, when Ben finally finds himself completely alone with April. They're in the kitchen in the house where he used to live, before he and Leslie got married.

Leslie and Andy are out in the dining room cleaning up the table for a dinner. That's another thing, the four of them have been spending a lot of time together outside of work lately, each couple just seeming to seek the other out for movie nights at one of their houses or casual after-work meals at least three or four times a week.

But instead of feeling forced or weird, it's oddly comforting. They all certainly used to spend a lot of time together when he lived here, but now, a few years later and with his and Leslie's unborn daughter added to the mix, it just feels...well, it feels nice. It feels natural. And for not the first time since Leslie told him about April's offer, he finds himself floating in a sea of indescribable gratitude.

Ben walks closer while April is stirring something in a crockpot that he thinks came from his mother-in-law.

"Hey, um, I just want to say thank you again for all of--"

"Ugh, stop. It's not a big deal."

"April, this is a huge deal. This is--"

"Stop or I'll drink a whole bottle of vodka right now."

She's joking, right? Ben knows she must be so he tries again. "Okay, I understand, but, I really would like to tell you how much--"

"I just wanted stretch marks and morning sickness, Ben. This has nothing to do with you or how you and Leslie never have sex so you couldn't have a..." she trails off when he moves in closer and tentatively wraps her up in a loose hug.

Surprisingly, she doesn't push him away, but actually leans closer and hugs back, so that he can feel her pronounced and pregnant belly touching him. He's had his hand against it plenty of times and he's even talked to his daughter, his face down by her stomach, but this is different. This is all April.

Ben thinks it's maybe because he's not looking at her, that she says, "Look, you and Leslie will be really amazing parents, okay? And it's not fair that you couldn't have a baby if you wanted one. And now you'll love this one a lot and she's going to be really happy. So, I'm just helping. It's not a big deal."

Ben laughs into her hair, even as his eyes start to water, a little overwhelmed at how this wonderful, terrifying, and generous young woman is changing his life. Honestly, he's not even sure that his own little sister Stephanie would do something so selfless and amazing for him and his wife.

But also, he's not foolish enough to think that this is not mostly because of Leslie and how she inspires so much from the people that she gives so much of her heart to.

"Alright. It's no big deal," he placates, kissing the top of her head lightly. "But this is incredible and I love you and thank you for this anyway."

* * * *

When it happens about three months later, it all seems to happen very quickly.

One minute she's asleep and snuggled up next to Ben in bed and the next, her cell phone is ringing. And then Leslie's urgently poking at her husband to wake him up and they're quickly getting dressed, before driving to Pawnee St. Joseph Hospital in the dark, early morning.

Once there, they wait in the hallway for a bit, while April and Andy have some time in the room alone. She and Ben sit in chairs and hold hands and Leslie can't stop her foot from nervously tapping against the scuffed linoleum floor.

Eventually, they get invited in by Andy and they all gather around April. The group takes turns holding her hands and feeding her ice chips and it all feels completely appropriate to Leslie. The nurse in charge of monitoring April's progress however, does not quite agree.

"We all live together in a polygamous arrangement," April tells the slightly confused maternity nurse. "We have no idea who the father is. It might be the mailman. Who can say for sure?"

She'd had an epidural awhile ago and she's obviously feeling well enough to mess with the hospital staff.

The frowning woman in nursing scrubs who is _not_ Ann, looks to Leslie for a more logical explanation as to why there are four people in the birthing room. Leslie grins through her ever-present tears and takes April's hand and gives it a squeeze.

"It might even be a possum's baby," she says, instead of explaining the true situation. "Have you ever heard of Fairway Frank?"

She watches as April smiles evilly and enthusiastically, before the younger woman adds, "Or maybe the ghost of Orville Redenbacher is the dad."

Leslie can't contain an excited cackle and then even Ben gets in on it, telling the disapproving nurse in his perfect deadpan tone, "Yeah. We all live together in a haunted house with a three-legged dog, Fairway Frank, and Orville Redenbacher's ghost. Near a graveyard. Is there a problem?"

Andy nods along, his eyes growing wide and serious.

When it's time, April insists on pushing to the _Benji's Cooltimes Summer Jamz Mix CD_ on repeat, so that Leslie and Ben's daughter will know right from the beginning "how big of a nerd her dad is."

Leslie grips April's hand and helps coach her through it, right along with Andy and Ben. As she watches her bear down, she swears she can feel her own insides clench and release with the effort as April screams and works her way through hard labor.

Madeleine Zuzu Knope Wyatt enters the world a couple hours later, to the chorus of _Pump Up the Jam_ by Technotronic, and she's immediately surrounded by four people who already love her unconditionally, as well as a smiling Dr. Saperstein and a still slightly-judgemental and flustered maternity nurse.

April holds the baby briefly and then she tries to give her to Leslie.

She's crying too hard to trust herself with such a perfect, fragile, and beautiful gift yet, so she steps back and Ben gets handed their daughter, a bewildered look on his own tear-streaked face.

"Hi baby-bean. Hi Maddie. I'm so happy to meet you," Ben whispers, staring down in awe, before looking up and meeting Leslie's eyes.

Of course, the sight of her sleepy and emotional husband holding their daughter for the first time just makes Leslie cry even more.

So she moves closer and leans down to hug April and sniffle into her dark hair, as Andy wraps his arms around the both of them. For the millionth time, Leslie can't believe how lucky she is to live in Pawnee and to be surrounded by so many people that she loves so dearly.

It all seems like so much more than anyone could ever deserve, and she only hopes her daughter finds the same in life.

**Author's Note:**

> [Drabble of Ben getting his _sample_](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5729020/chapters/18427429)


End file.
